RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Madja Chambrillard, CEO of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, said the country's president has asked her to work to boost the country's economy while maintaining the oil company's profitability.
Chamberillard, who took over as the state-run company's top CEO after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired the former CEO in May, said at her official inauguration on Wednesday that Petrobras' vision for Brazil was in line with the president's priorities.
Chamberyard's position was echoed by Lula, who spoke during the event held at Petrobras' CENPES research center in Rio de Janeiro.
“No one wants shareholders to lose a dime,” Lula said. “Nobody wants Petrobras to become a loss-making company.”
Petrobras shares fell last month after Lula fired former CEO Jean-Paul Prats over concerns that he was looking to appoint a new CEO who would boost Brazil's economy at the expense of shareholders.
To meet Lula's request, one of Chamberyard's main priorities is to accelerate the company's $102 billion investment plan for 2024-2028, which she said has the potential to generate “hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
Last week, Chamberyard announced its new management team and appointed three directors with technical know-how and a long history in state-run companies in the country.
After Wednesday's event, Champriard told reporters that she did not see any more changes in the company's senior management staff.